WATCHING NOT WATCHING: IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
It's hard to think of a comedic or dramatic show that revels in displays of depravity to the extent that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia does. For one thing, not many shows make you want to shower afterward to wash the trashiness away. Yet It's Always Sunny has an undeniably fervent cult following, which makes us ask: Why do we love these offensive characters that represent humanity at its lowest? UK-based WNW Member #2772 Sam Taylor, a huge fan of the show, helped us answer this question and others. He also contributed some twisted original fan art.
Do you tune in and watch It’s Always Sunny weekly on TV or do you binge online during vacations?
Well I live in London, so I can’t watch it live because we don’t get FXX over here, so I always watch it on Thursdays. If it came out all at once I would binge though it, for sure. Last year me and my housemate watched the whole of season 10 in one sitting. We were pretty drunk by the end.
It’s Always Sunny has a huge cult following. What is it about the show that draws you in?
I just see so much of myself in the characters. Haha nah. I guess the show has an easy to follow formula, where the gang splits up with different objectives and in the end they disagree with their initial beliefs, I like that. The fickleness. Each character is formed perfectly.
Who’s your favorite character? How is it possible we can root for such depraved humanity?
This is a hard one but I think Dennis is my favourite character. He’s the most fucked up. Charlie’s just stupid and dirty, Mac is an idiot with conflicting religious/sexual orientations, Dee is totally desperate but Dennis is a straight up psychopath and I like that about him. The D.E.N.N.I.S System is probably my favourite episode. I think it’s easy to root for them because even though they do horrible stuff they rarely succeed and they like to think they’re bullies or sexual powerhouses but they blow it. A psychologist could explain better than me but you know what I mean.
Is It’s Always Sunny, and television in general, a source of creative inspiration or escape for you?
Yeah, inspiration. Not exclusively though, I get inspiration from a lot of stuff that I like: films, art, the news, whatever. I just find IASIP really funny and it clicks with me. The characters are like cartoons in a way and I’m always trying to find new ways to make myself laugh. They remind me of people that I know which is both fucked up and amazing.
What other shows/films do you recommend to the WNW community?
At the moment I’m obsessed with The Eric Andre Show. The worst show ever.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Yes, death to craft beer.
More of Sam's work here:
One of Charlie's ghouls